Crow Creek Sioux tribal elder and chief dies at age 99

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – Funeral services are scheduled this week for Crow Creek Sioux tribal elder and chief Vernon Ashley.

Isburg Funeral Chapel says Ashley died Tuesday in his Pierre home, at the age of 99. His funeral is 10 a.m. Tuesday at Trinity Episcopal Church in Pierre.

Ashley served as Crow Creek tribal chairman in the mid-1900s and is credited with helping author the tribe’s constitution and bylaws.

He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and also worked for three South Dakota governors during his lifetime.

The tribe honored him last July by naming him chief.